Kieron Pollard, GF Linde, Cobus Roodt, Pieter Malan and Alexis le Breton were amongst the major cup-recipients at the glittering Western Province Cricket Association awards-function in Rondebosch on Saturday. Dane Paterson walked away with a hat-trick of awards as Cape Cobras player of the year, players player of the year and Sunfoil Series player of the year. Andrew Puttick received the award as Momentum One Day player of the year of the Cape champions.

Roodt, coach of the all-conquering Western Province women’s team, grabbed the award as coach of the year, while Le Breton claimed the women’s player of the year price. The women’s team won the Cricket South Africa Women’s 50-over trophy and the 20/20 trophy. Pollard, who averaged 81 with the bat and captured 14 wickets in the shortest domestic format in 2014/2015, received the award as Ram Slam T20 player of the year. Malan was the first-class player of the year. Linde nipped out 14 batsmen in the Ram Slam T20 Challenge and walked away with the spoils as young player of the year. Shamiel Isaacs was named umpire of the year. Laura Wolfaardt was the youth player of the year, while Jillian Carelse received the award as scorer of the year. Charl Bonthuys (deaf player of the year) and Joshua Doman (blind player of the year) also featured prominently at the awards-function. Catalyst Victoria Cricket Club was voted the most sporting team of the Western Province Cricket Association. The full list of awards is:

Individual Awards Most Sporting Team: Catalyst VictoriaCC Best Fielding Team: Fish Hoek CC Deaf Player of the Year: Charl Bonthuys Blind Player of the Year: Joshua Doman Mini Cricket Coordinator of the Year: Andile Mtambeka Scorer of the Year: Jillian Carelse Youth Player of the Year : Laura Wolfvaardt Coach of the Year: Cobus Roodt Umpire of the Year: Shamiel Isaacs Momentum Cup Player of the Year: Andrew Puttick Sunfoil Player of the Year: Dane Paterson Ram Slam Player of the Year: Kieron Pollard Young Player of the Year: GF Linde Players Player of the Year: Dane Paterson Women’s Player of the Year: Alexis le Breton First Class Player of the Year: Pieter Malan Cape Cobras Player of the Year: Dane Paterson Club of the Year: Xtra Space Bellville CC

CAPE TOWN. – An extraordinary start which even would have left Usain Bolt trailing if that was a 100-metre sprint is one way to describe the first 100 days of the newly established Newlands Cricket High school.

Shaheed Shaik, co-founder of the school with Nabeal Dien, the chief executive officer of the Western Province Cricket Association, and Clinton Ravens, the cricket master of the school, said the u.14-team of the new institution won 34 of their 35 games in the first quarter.

The u.15-team lost six games, but was victorious in 29 of their 35 clashes.

One of the premier goals of Shaik and the Newlands Cricket High School is to produce 50 black African cricket stars during the next five years.

Of the premier intake of 22 learners and cricketers in 2015 (grade eight and nine), eight players are black Africans.

And Shaik is enormously proud of the major roles the African players have fulfilled in the first season.

The bowler Siya Plaatjie boasts more than 50 scalps in his first season for the school, while Tembani Ngicizela is comfortably the fastest bowler on view.

Shaik is passionate about cricket. Not only did he captain Boland during the 1980’s. He was also at the helm as manager/coach when the Western Province Cricket Club’s u.13-team won the Feedem Pitseng knockout-cup-competition in the Western Cape in 2013 and 2014.

About 80 u.13-teams participated in this prestigious event.

His philosophy was to make the young players understand their distinct roles in the team. The bowlers also bolstered their game plan by constantly taking wickets in the 15-over-a-team contest.

The team also had contingency plans in case they lose constant wickets.

Shaik also founded three private schools in Cape Town.

Part of his approach was to establish a drug-monitoring program which became such a success recipe that government implemented it as a best practice at schools nationally.

Developing leaders, nurturing good people, and instilling self-belief in the minds and hearts of the players are part of Shaik’s philosophy.

He said many of the black players in the school have not left the Western Cape. Taking them on tours to Mossel Bay, Oudtshoorn and Potchefstroom were eye-openers to them.

Strengthening their minds so that they would shrug off feelings of inferiority and start believing they can compete against all-comers, were very important. But he is confident has succeeded in doing that, added Shaik.

One of the highlights of his season was the performance by the u.14-team against arguably the u.14-champion team in the region, Rondebosch Boys High.

The Newlands-based team restricted Rondebosch to 107 for nine after the former had scored 128 for nine.

If the umpire did answer a vociferous appeal for caught behind (the batsman nicked it), the Newlands Cricket High school would have won.

Instead, Rondebosch hung on dourly for a draw.

But it was the level of play by the young Newlands cricketers that excited him, said Shaik.

Clinton Ravens, a former Coke-week coach of Western Province and also an assistant-coach of the WP Cubs team, was up-beat about the quality of the players.

He said although the cricketers train about eight hours in winter and spend around 20 hours a week in the summer practicing their cricket skills, the focus of the first term was more on discipline in the first quarter.

Correcting technical hiccups or faults in the bowling or batting has hardly received any attention. He will address this in the winter. Therefore, much can still be done to raise the standards of the very talented players.

Shaik says one of the challenges during the next five years is to raise funds to accommodate black African cricketers from disadvantaged communities. Many of them don’t have the funds to pay for their schooling and cricket tutelage.

Judging from the amazing standards attained by the cricketers in their first 100 days at Newlands, word might spread quickly that this is an enormous investment in South Africa’s future cricketing wealth.

CAPE TOWN. – The incentive of semi-professional contracts and the privilege of standing in the queue to challenge for a place in the most dominant South African franchise of the past five years will motivate Matthew Kleinveldt, Zubayr Hamza and their six colleagues. The eight players received semi-professional contracts at Western Province for the 2015/2016-season. Apart from Kleinveldt and Hamza, Pieter Malan, Aviwe Mgijima, Lesiba Ngoepe, Travis Miller, George Linde and Mpilo Njoloza were also rewarded semi-professional contracts. Kleinveldt scored 669 runs in the 2014/2015-season, and prospered in his maiden first-class game for the Cape Cobras by striking a composed 97 as opener against the Sunfoil Dolphins. The 19-year old Hamza excelled, compiling a stylish 580 runs in the Sunfoil Cup Three-day competition at an average of 58.

Malan also enjoyed some memorable success for Western Province. He assembled 694 runs and pressed briefly for a more permanent position in the Cape Cobras top-order.

The contracted bowlers and all-rounders have the abilities to stake a claim for higher honours at Newlands.

Aviwe Mgijima captured 16 wickets and scored 201 runs at an average of 40.20 for Western Province last season. Travis Miller and George Linde have made debuts for the Cape Cobras and both have taken five-wicket hauls for the senior franchise team.

Ultimately, consistent excellence and match-winning performances would be required to propel the semi-professionals firmly into the hearts and minds of the Cape Cobras selectors. Ngoepe showed glimpses of his quality in the 2014/2015-season. Yet, he would want to convert those moments into sessions and centuries to exert more pressure on the incumbents at the Cape Cobras.